Wine Experience Hub

Below is all the information that you need for hosting an awesome wine tasting!

Pre-Event

What You'll Need

  • Friends! (typically 6-12 people)
  • Grape Nights Box (inc. 3 or 6 lovely wines)
  • Wine Glasses (at least 1, but ideally 3 pp) 
  • Water
  • Tasting mat per person 
  • Blank tasting note page  
  • Nibbles/ cheeses/ food pairings
  • Corkscrew
  • Speaker (to play our curated playlist
  • Spittoon (optional)

Food Pairings

Spanish Food Pairings

Cheeses: Manchego, Comté, Morbier, Feta, Cheddar, Brie, Gouda, Jarlsberg, Goat Cheese

Meats: Grilled Chicken, Lamb Cutlets, Red Meats, Grilled Meats, Grilled Herbed Lamb Chops, Braised Basque Chicken

Seafood: Oily Fish, Seafood, Shellfish

Appetizers and Light Meals: Antipasti, Light Dishes, Salads, Spicy Asian Cuisine, Barbeques

Hearty Dishes: Casseroles, Stews, Patatas a la Riojana (Potato & Chorizo Stew), Vegan Sausages.

Italian Food Pairings

Cheeses: Gorgonzola, Comté, Cambozola, Manchego, Morbier, Cheddar, Smoked Gouda

Meats: Salami, Roast Meat, Pork Sausages, BBQ Meats, Steak Tartare

Appetizers and Light Meals: Mushroom Risotto, BBQ Beans / Bean Stew, Charcuterie Board

Hearty Dishes: Gnocchi Al Ragù, Risotto, Tomato-based Pasta Dishes

How to Set-up

  • Ideally, you want to host around a good-sized table and chairs with ample lighting
  • If you are using tasting mats and notes, print these out, place these down 1 each per person.
  • Place clean wine-tasting glasses per person on the tasting mat (ideally 3 per person but at least one will work!)
  • Ensure plenty of water is on the table
  • Wines (20/20 rule: put your red in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving, and take your white out 20 minutes before) 
  • Set your table with any nibbles, snacks, or dishes in the centre ready for everyone to share.
  • Provide white napkins, which work both for food and also to provide a white background to view the appearance of the wine

Top Tips

  • DRINK WATER - do not forget this, it’s so important to stay hydrated during a wine tasting, and i usually recommend at least matching the quantity of water to wine, this way you reduce the hangover too!
  • 15-20 mins per wine is suggested, giving time to enjoy and think about each wine 
  • The suggested pour is around 50 ml per person, which will serve up to 12 glasses per bottle plus a little left if anyone wants to revisit
  • Avoid any strong smells to distract you so avoid cooking smells, perfume etc.

Event Intro Videos

Cool Reds

Link for Intro Video here

Rosé All Day

Link for Intro Video here

Post-Event

Wines

If you liked any of the wines from the tasting and would like to order some directly, please reach out to us at hello@grapenights.com for more info!